LIBER'S NOTE-BOOK

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2764, 6 May 1916, Page 11

LIBER'S NOTE-BOOK

Omar Khayyam. To the many translations of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam has now , been added, a faithful and literal translation''from .the original 'Persian. The author, John Pollen, LL.D. (Dublin), an. ex-Indian Civil Servant, visited New Zealand two or three years ago in the interests of'the. British 'Esperanto Association,, of.-which he is the. President. FitzgeraTd's famous version of" the Rubaiyat topic, so > many liberties :with the original that it has been called "a poem on Omar" rather than a translation of Omar's poem. Even its author admitted- it was . "very unlitcral." Nevertheless, it still stands'easily first, and,rightly.-so, iu popularity, of all the many translations ;or versions which have appeared. Dr. Pollen has ed "thei fpur-beat hymn measure" instead of tho. traditional ten syllables. It is interesting to note the variations between .the doctor's "faithful and literal", translation and tho "Fitzgerald version. Take,-for-instance, the well-known-lines (in Fitzgerald's First Edi;tioii,. -1859):- •

lion 'with a Loaf of Broad bcneatli tho Bough, ■■ A;,F!asli of - -Wine, -a, - Bool; of Y-ersc.'and Thou Beside me singing in t.he Wilderness And the JVilderness is' Paradise -enow; . Dr. Pollen's literal translation reads: Some ruby Witte—a Book of Song— ' With half a loaf—for these I long, -JVitli.-tteo— in de3ert drear—anil Thee Happier than Kingdom's King I'd >10. i * 9 * Had I at hand a, wlieaten scone, A gourd of wine and mutton .bone, Witli Thee beside' mo in ' the' waste, A joy no King coulil curb I'd taste. Or, aghin, transposing, this time, the order of quotation, we' l find, in Dr. Pollen's translation, the 0110 verse: When young we to a .Teacher went, And vath.ntir progress were content; The Gi'ound of Ms discourse was—"Lo," "Water we caiiie, liU.e wind we go." But in Fitzgerald's first ■ version (1859) the thought is expanded—and who shall-say extravagantly?—into two verses: Myself when young did eagerly frequentDoctor and . Saint nnd heard great Argument Abollt.it and about-:. but over more ./ Came out by tho «aino Door where in ] went. ■With them .the sesd of Wisdom did I sow, , And with,.mine nirn hand wrought to make it grow; And this was all tho Harvest that I-reap'o, "I came like Water and like Wind I 20." • One more comparison. Dr. Pollen's twolfth stanza reads ■:■ IV Houris Eden's bower is dear, Dearer to me the grape-juice clear; Then take.the cash! Let credit go) The drum—far off—sounds soft and low.

Fitzgerald's first. version of the old Persian philosopher's' V- preference for present and certain pleasures :as opposed to the, to him, at least, doubtful joys of the future, ran thus; "Ho-.v sweet is aortal SovrehtsT'-thlus some . . Others "Hot blest the Paradise to come!" • Ah, take tie Cash In hand and waive the " / -Reet;Oh. tils brave Muiiic otn. distant Drum. In the/later (1880) edition this is replaced by: Some for' the Gloi'loa of this World; and some Sigh for.the Prophet's Paradise to come.. All, take- the Cosh, and let the Credit go, Nor heed the rumble of a distant Drum. Temptation to further quotation and comparison is keen, but spacc \ limits forbid. My readers must, judge for .themselves, whether Fitzgerald's free adaptation or Dr. Pollen's "faithful and literal" translation be preferable. ' For my own part, much as I esteem the literary, valuo of Dr. Pollen's work, the only 'Omar Khayyam to which I am faithful, is Fitzgerald's. At the same timo I shall not fail to put a copy of the doctor's interesting aud valuable little book on my. shelves, ■ alongsido the Fitzgerald, M'Carthy, Whinlield, ■and other versions I already possess. In a brief but interesting preface, His Highness the Aga Khan, whilst admitting that in some respects Fitzgerald's famous translation transcends the beauty of tho original, points out its frequent divergence from the text of the Rubaiyat, as well as from the, sequence of the verses, and compliments Dr. Pollen upon-having, in his "more faithful translation accomplished a task of greater difficulty," and having "done justice both to the letter and the spirit of the original." The book, a copy of which has been kindly lent mo by a relative of the author, is published by East and Y/est, Ltd., 3 Victoria Street, London, the proceeds from the sale of tho little volumo being lor the benefit of tile Indian soldiers "who are now laying down their lives for the Empiro on the battlefields of three Continents."- Unfortunately, I am unable to state the price of tho volume.

Cockney Humour. In "Mo and Harris" (TV Werner Laurie), tho well-known English humorist, Mr. Barry Pain, gives his admirers a new series of highly amusing sketches of Cockney life, the two principal figures being a gentleman who is living on an annuity—"what 1 bought witli the money my poor wife left 1 when she was called to her rest" —and his friend, Mr. Harris, a professional dog fancier, whose speciality is breeding Pekinese dogs.: Each claims that he is "doing his bit" for tho country. The

annuitant puts liis case., this ,way:, "Everybody's got to, be doing something. If nobody lived on an annuity, lots of-them ■■Insurance Offices would have to put their shutters up. Ami in that case just think of all them thousands of clerks thrown out of work, and all' the widespread, unspoken misery. "When I says I'm living on an annuity,' it's just the same as saying that I'm at the post of .duty. Where else should a. man be?" As for the' Pekinese, export, he consoles himself with the thought, "dogs is one. of the few things as Germans ain't yet been able to make by chemistry out of coal-tar." Germany's the great country for substitutes just now. At this moment nolikely as old Frit? is telling liis old bu of skirt to put . tho imitation kettle on-. the coal-substi'.utc. and make a 6piu*ious cup'of- bogus tea, always supposing a» tie automatic milkman ain't forgot: to leave the. artificial milk-tabloids, When a German sees -jiiiytlnng, his Bret thought is how to make something that will look rather like it for loss money. I'm told as they used, to do an alleged whisky for export at three-and-six the dozen bottles. One teaspoonful of it in a pint of water would leave you- dead to the world- for ten hours; or, if preferred, it could bo used as a quiok-drying mahogany stain for white wood. That's whero my little dog defies them. You can't make no imita'tion Pekinese. That's why the trade in dogs is mostly a British trade, and as such should be supported.

As for the "war time use", of pet dogs, Harris has his own philosophic standpoint: .. Did you ever hear c, woman talk to a Pekinese? Sho goes.on and on. At first italmost frightens you. You feel inclined to run for a dC"tor, or' telephone the nearest, asylum. But when you comes to think It over afterwards you see the valua o! that dog. It's provided that woman with an outlet for a lot of ■ foolishness as might otherwise have been diverted and become dangerous. It's better as a, dog Fhould hive all that gasping diliriousness poured over it than n, human' kid should' get it. If she weren't talking to a. Peltin. ese, shs might be writing to the noospapers, or bothering people to let her do any form of war-work as she weren't qualified for. When a. man eess a woman talking to her- pet dog, what he ought to. reflect is that but for the dog that same woman might Jnuvo been calling at the Wjir Oi'fice ,

Mr. Pain is just as funny_ in his new book as lio was when relating the experiences of Edwards, the "jobbing gardener," o~r setting down for public entertainment the social philosophy of his earlier creation, Mrs. Murphy. (N.Z. price, Is.- fid.)

Stray Leaves. Tho March number of "The Bookman" (Hodder and Stoughtoii) is well' worth buying, if. only for Sir Sidney Colvin's long and deeply interesting article 011 the late Stephen. Phillips and his poetry. Another excellent article is that by Frederick Watson. ("lan Maclaren's" son), on that powerful and brilliant writer, R. B. .Cuniiinghame Graham. The April "Bookman'* will be a Shakespeare Tercentenary Number. . That clever writer on-, the Near East, Mannaduke Pickthall—'did you ever read his "Said the Fisherman!'? —is publishing a neiv novel, "The House of War," through Mr. Eveleigh Nash,' a publisher who always has some specially, good fie-' .tion 011 his list. ■ Mr.' Picktliall lived for some years in tho Near East. . An authoritative "Life 'of • Theodore "Watts Dunton,"' by T. Hake and A. C. Eickett, is, I see, announced for early publication. Mr/ Edmund Gosse's. "Lifo of Swinburne,"vAVatts Dunton's almost lifelong friend, is .'.also due this summer. " . ••

Patrick M'G.ill, the navvy poet, andauthor of .the pathetic "Children of the Dead End" '' and of that".--somewhat repulsive story_ of the-Glasgow slums, "The Rat - Pit,"has been' at tho ■ front for somg time. He has, however, ./been so little disturbed by-the German shells, as to be able to find leisure-to write.si. war story, "The Bed- Horizon," which-: deals almost entirely with adventures of certain of the earlier English volunteers' 'in Artois and Flanders. - Tlie book is well spoken of by the --English- -press. In-tha "Times"' Literary -Supplementi'or March 9 there' is- sin excellent firstpage article,' "Tlie World -of Henry James." Henry James's novels, like those of George Meredith, were, never amongst the "best sellers," but some of his shorter stories, such as "Daisy. Miller," "Tho Lesson of the Master," and "Tho Death'of .the-Lion," are veritable masterpieces iii .-miniature, and' I am glad to see they. are now. being reprinted. ' .1 -■ My old favourite, Mr. It. V. Lucas, it, I read, writing'* new-book entitled "London Revisited," to be published in duo course by Messrs; ■ Methiien in. the "Wanderer" series, to which Mr. : Lucas contributed his fcarlier study' of London. "A Wanderer in London,"' and siiwlar, volumes on Paris .and Venice, etc.